THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



49d 



TO THE COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



Gentlemen',— As the judges of thrashing-machines at 

 Chester are likely to have an unparalleled amount of labour 

 to perfunn, if left to investigate, without j'l-evinns plan or 

 agreement, the many ])oints of excellence and dei'ict in 

 those complicated pieces of mechanism, and the varied pro- 

 cesses they perform, I am induced to recommend the 

 preparation of a lable, or schedule of points for observation. 

 This would be at once a concise form of " Instructions for the 

 Judges," saving them much time in discussion as to the 

 basis of their examination, and a valuable statistical detail 

 of facts and criticism for the public. 



The perforiiiaiices of the machines are ascertained bj' the 

 " trials," and the mechanical principles and construction are 

 judged of by inspection ; the prizes being awarded to those 

 machines which, in the opinion of the adjudicators, possess 

 the largest balance of advantages Now, to shorten the 

 duration of trial in work is not desirable; because, the 

 longer a machine is engaged in thrashing, the better chance 

 will there be of discovering its capabilities for shaking, 

 riddling, and winnowing efficiently. But much of the time 

 occupied in examining the mechanical merits and workman- 

 ship may be economized, I believe, by means of a sjrsff ma^/c, 

 instead of a cursory, inspection of the constructive details. 

 To sum up the comparative merits of a great number of 

 machines, from any notes of good or faulty " points" which 

 may have been jotted down whilst looking at each, must 

 often be difficult enough. How much simpler to have in 

 j'our hand a list of the different conditions or capabilities to 

 be looked for and considered in every machine brought be- 

 fore you, and just note under each head your opinion of 

 the relative merit of each machine in that particular 

 respect ! 



A table might be drawn up, statiog the relative standing 

 of the various machiDes, as regards mechanical merit and 

 points which cannot be deteraiiued in mere trials, thus : 



The data in the second and third columns, ascertained by 

 the dynamometer or testing-machine, would reveal certain ex- 

 cellencies or defects in the mechanism. For the next four 

 Culumns (or more, as other points may be aided), each machine 

 must be inspected, and its rank as first, second, third class, 

 &c., agreed upon by the judges, and noted under each head. 

 The peculiar value of such atablewouldbe.itscontainiDgthede- 

 cisiou of qiial tied men upon the precise points that purchasers 

 may be anxious about, aud whatever qualities or merits the 

 judges might finally conaider important enough to carry off the 

 prize. Still purchasers would know which raachioes excel or fail 

 in every separate particuhr, and could therefore select the ma- 

 chine best suited to their peculiar district or business. 



A tabular statement of performances we have had before ; 

 but I would suggest that the method of taking certain 

 numbers to represent " perfect work" in each of the several 

 operations, stating the degrees of merit of each machine by 

 proportional numbers, and adding the figures together fur 

 the " total comparative merit," must necessarily give a 

 fallacious result. Who is to say that when "clean thrash- 

 ing" is represented by 20, "clean shaking" is to be set 

 down at 15, "chafings free from com" at 15, "chaff free 

 fro;n earn" 15, " corn unbroken" 12, "straw unbroken" 8." 



It is easy to see that by assigning other arbitrary numerals 

 for the different points, according to the view we may 

 happen to take of their relative importance, very different 

 sums-total of " comparative merit" would be obtained fir 

 the several machines tried. Instead of "unbroken straw" 

 (for instance) being a point of more than half the merit of 

 "clean shaking" or "chafings free from corn,'' in some 

 localities farmers want their straw broken ; and consider- 

 able difference of opinion may exist as to the relative value 

 of perfection in knocWng-out, shaking, aud riddling. 



Let the proportional merit of the machines in each 

 process be stated, without attcmptin;j to calcul.-ite a com- 

 parative total of excellence or inferiority, the talilc of ; c- 

 formaiices being somewhat as follows : — 



o o 



2r 



o 



o o 



o — 



So- 



o 

 o 



o 



O o 



o 



o 

 o 



o o 



O N 



o oo o 



00 OJ o 



o o en 



CD CS O 



5^B 



OS o o 





f^ ^ ? 

 o- O 2. 



S. >< G 



9% o 



2, » 3 e> 

 "^ " « = 





5 mw 



ffSsS? 



. 



Other points may be added, as, the quantity of " white-heads,'* 

 the due separation of chafings from the long straw, freedom of 

 the chaff from chafings, &c. 



The average time worked by each machine at Carlisle wafe 

 15-j minutes with wheat, aud 8^ minutes with barley ; and 

 seemg that at Salisbury there were forty combined machines, 

 besides simple portable aud fixed baroworks, it is hardly to b6 



